CHICAGO — The Liberty extended their win streak to eight games Wednesday with a 96-95 win against the Chicago Sky.
New York mostly had its bench to thank for staying in the game. And Jonquel Jones’s nine-point fourth quarter and Sabrina Ionescu’s redeeming game-winning layup to secure the victory.
Satou Sabally scored 17 points on 8-for-11 shooting and Rebekah Gardner added 10 to lead the Liberty in outscoring the Sky’s bench 38-14.
The Sky had no business hanging around as long as they did. But it was like the Liberty were unaware that the Sky’s rookies, Gabriela Jaquez and Sydney Taylor, were respectable scoring threats.
Taylor, coming off a breakout 30-point performance against the Indiana Fever, led all scorers with 24 points. Jaquez added 22.
The Sky have been one of the biggest disappointments in the WNBA this season. They started 3-1 but have gone completely off the rails since.
Entering Wednesday, they had lost nine of their previous 11. One of their top offseason acquisitions — Rickea Jackson — suffered a season-ending ACL tear last month. Courtney Vandersloot, one of the franchise’s most tenured players, has yet to return after injuring her knee a year ago.
But Liberty coach Chris DeMarco wouldn’t be fooled by the challenge the Sky might present.
“They have a lot of talent,” DeMarco said of the Sky. “… Definitely a dangerous team.”
The Sky rudely awoke the Liberty in the first quarter, pulling ahead by as many as 14 points.
The Liberty used a 22-6 run across the end of the first quarter and into the second to take a one-point lead.
But the Sky never backed off. They kept pace with the Liberty, keeping within three points for most of the third quarter.
Leonie Fiebich’s 3-pointer toward the end of the third gave the Liberty a six-point advantage for their largest lead of the night to that point.
Every time the Liberty seemed to build their lead back up, the Sky found a way to trim it, whether it was Taylor’s 3-pointer that cut the Liberty’s lead to one or Elizabeth Williams’ deflection that forced a Breanna Stewart turnover.
Taylor secured the rebound off Stewart’s miss late in the game. Then she drained the go-ahead 3-pointer that sent the Wintrust Arena crowd to its feet.
Then, Ionescu drove by Skylar Diggins for the game-winning layup.
Taylor’s shot at the end of the game bounced off the rim.
Give the Sky credit, they went down swinging.
Wednesday was an emotional game for Natasha Cloud, who’s dealing with the hurt that comes after a breakup with someone you envisioned a future with.
She’s moved on from New York — not that she necessarily had the choice.
The Liberty said they had versions of their 2026 roster that included Cloud.
But when the time came, other dominoes fell, leaving Cloud as the odd woman out.
The Liberty landed marquee free agent Satou Sabally. They also signed highly sought-after French guard Pauline Astier. When the salary cap hits for each signing came to light, it became abundantly clear that the Liberty’s books were close to the max.
Cloud remained unsigned as training camps opened across the league before the Sky signed her four days before the season opener.
Speaking with The Post pregame, Cloud declined to discuss in detail what happened with New York in the end.
“Right now, I’m just focused on getting another dub,” Cloud said. “It happens to be [against] New York, but very happy to be where my feet are. Y’all know what it is. … This business is political. Business is business.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
